Head scarf with Oya 1940 - 1950

This headscarf with Oya, made by an anonymous artist, presents an approach to artmaking as a labor of love. The ochre ground is bordered by a field of repeated botanical motifs, terminating in a delicate crocheted trim. There’s a compelling tension between the implied grid of the square scarf, and the organic forms woven into its design. The flowers and leaves, rendered in muted reds, creams, and browns, possess an appealing imperfection. The artist is not trying to achieve some kind of photographic likeness. Instead they embrace the irregularities inherent to their chosen medium. I find my eye snagged by the crocheted trim. These tiny handmade elements embody a process of incremental making. Like a painting, this scarf invites us to contemplate the beauty of the imperfect, and the potential of the everyday. It brings to mind the textile works of artists like Alighiero Boetti, who similarly combined geometric systems with handmade, organic forms.